harsh reality
by renegadesWrath
Summary: 'Red string of fate' soulmate au with fem!Reader.


Nothing particularly remarkable happened today.

Well, nothing except the fact that Akaashi finally saw the red string tied around his finger. Honestly, this boy. It's been there all morning but now he finally notices.

It was during practice, while tossing to Bokuto. He was absentmindedly tossing when he noticed a slim red ring around his finger, trailing all the way to who-knows-where.

More like, who-knows- _who_.

It threw him off so much that his toss went directly to Bokuto's face, and his cry of surprise snapped him back to reality.

"Bokuto-san, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Akaashi! Pay more attention. Don't wanna ruin this handsome face now, do we?" Bokuto grinned.

He just sighed and offered a hand. "I'm sorry."

Bokuto just waved it off, then noticed the ring around Akaashi's finger. He immediately jumped up and started bouncing around the court, screaming about how Akaashi was going to meet his soulmate today and how proud he was of his adorable kouhai.

Everyone gathered around him, saying things about how lucky he was, and musing about how they were going to be. It seemed like everyone was excited about it except for him.

Ever since he heard about the 'red string of fate', he never really thought about how it would be when it did appear. He didn't really care much about it. When it happens, it happens, right? Sure it would be nice to have an idea beforehand, but he really didn't mind it much.

Everyone was encouraging him to go and find his soulmate, so he left on his quest. It was a little exciting, he guessed, finally finding the one you were supposed to be with, with no clue as to what they could be like.

The sun was starting to set. Snowflakes were starting to slowly float down from the heavens, as if they were planning an elaborate scenery just for them. The people on the streets downtown were starting to disappear, making it easier for him to follow the trail. Cars seemed to lazily pass by. The atmosphere in and of itself was soft, quiet; even the colors of the sunset seemed to be of a softer palette than usual. It was as if nature was holding its breath, awaiting the fated meeting.

When the string started to get taut, he immediately looked up, hoping to get a glimpse of his soulmate. It ran around the corner, and when it really started to pull, he had to admit he got a little excited. Okay, more like he was like Kenma whenever he got a new video game.

By now, passersby were talking about the boy with the unreadable face, but the stars in his eyes, looking for his soulmate. A few people even started following him, not that he noticed. They muttered about how incredibly lucky he is to find his soulmate at a young age, and mused about what they would be like, not unlike his friends. Adults chuckled at the incredible concentration on his usually unreadable face and how it felt to those that have found theirs, and teenagers excitedly talked about the stars in his eyes, wanting to someday be like that.

Then, he caught their reflection in a mirror.

His head whipped around so hard he could've gotten whiplash. Still, he couldn't see them. He could see their reflection though, and what he saw made the stars in his eyes expand into galaxies. In short, she was utterly breathtaking.

His followers stopped and stared as well, and they inwardly admired the complete and utter adoration present on the setter's face.

It looked like he had found everything he ever needed.

She was also following her trail, looking around in hopes of getting a glimpse. For some reason, Akaashi couldn't move. She had him frozen in place with wonder. Her hair under a beanie, wearing a simple sweater and jeans. Yet he found himself transfixed. He let himself be filled with the instant love and adoration, and most of all, _hope_ , at the sight of the person he was to spend the rest of his life with. His heart soared, and for the first time in his life he could tell himself that everything was going to be okay and not be lying, now that they were there with him.

She looked up into the mirror and saw the boy with the universe in his eyes, and fell in love. She started to smile, and that was when he knew she had seen him. A smile made its way across his face.

Then

she was gone.

In a flash of _something_ , she was ripped away from him.

He watched in confusion and terror as his red string started to turn black, crawling towards him, crumbling, breaking,

dying.

His audience saw the galaxies disappear and fade from his eyes, only to be replaced by a terrible void.

Their hearts broke for him. They broke for the boy who had his soulmate so cruelly and terribly ripped away from him, seconds after they had met.

Little by little, Akaashi could feel his heart being smashed against a wall and set on fire. He slowly trudged forwards, bracing himself for what he knew had happened.

He looked upon her slowly cooling body, her life seeping out of her, as red as their string was. Even in death she looked beautiful. He could vaguely hear someone call emergency services. For some reason, he didn't grieve at first. He didn't scream, or cry, or do anything normal people do when they lose someone they love. He just held her, cradling her head, vaguely noticing how very empty he was now, after being so filled up with her. They had only locked eyes, yet he felt as if they had been in love for as long as he could remember.

Soon, though, the horror of it all registered.

Tears began to rapidly fall as he let out cries of woe and agony, uncharacteristic of his usual demeanor. Onlookers ranged from silent tears to full-on sobbing, yet they knew that none of their pain could ever measure up to what Akaashi was feeling. He tried to rein in his emotions, but he just couldn't. He felt as if what little control he had over his life was crushed along with her.

When the ambulance arrived, his arms slumped as they took her away. He got up, not noticing the blood covering his front, and, after a few words with the officials, left. He walked in a trance, all the way home. It wasn't until his mother chided him for coming home so late, then fussing over the blood on his clothes, did he realize it was night.

Akaashi Keiji, the boy who saw his soulmate die in front of his very eyes, was now a shadow of the boy he used to be.

Bokuto called, "Akaashi! Hey, did you meet your soulmate yet? What happened? Tell me all about it."

And he did. He told him all about it, in such a monotonous tone it even scared Bokuto.

"What was she like?" He whispered, afraid if he were even just a smidgen too loud he'd break him.

"She was beautiful, Koutarou. She made me feel like I was everything."

After that, he hung up and crawled into bed, and stared. All he did was stare at the wall opposite him, a million thoughts racing through his head, and none at the same time.

He let himself hope to an extreme, and of course this was going to happen. It always happens.

Soon enough he fell asleep, vision filled with soft color tones, fire, and red.

So much red.


End file.
